Brooks Montana Stone

By Charles Brooks, West Yellowstone, 1960s, submitted by Mike Cline.

Description

The Brooks Montana Stone was designed by Charles E. Brooks during the 1960s in West Yellowstone, Montana. Brooks sought a heavy, durable pattern that could reach trout feeding near the bottom in fast, boulder-strewn rivers like the Madison and Gallatin. Inspired by the large stonefly nymphs abundant in Western waters, the fly emphasized weight and silhouette over movement—characteristics that made it revolutionary for its time. It was among the earliest patterns built specifically to fish deep, challenging the norm of floating dry flies that dominated the era.

Materials

• Body: Black yarn
• Hackle: Brown and Grizzly and Gray Ostrich
• Ribbing: UTC Copper BR or Medium
• Tail: Primary fibers from Crow Wing
• Thread: UTC 140 Black
• Weight: .015 lead free wire

Hooks

• Firehole 811 Barbless Streamer

Target species: Trout

Fly types: Nymph